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Alumni Stories

Alumni of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program are transforming their communities and their workplaces around the world in a myriad of roles. Previous graduates are improving the effectiveness of project teams and managers, encouraging patient self-efficacy and using positive interventions in healthcare settings, creating strategies as human resources professionals, leading educational institutions and fostering positive peacekeeping in the United Nations. Read our alumni stories below to learn more about how the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program has helped students create fully engaging lives and careers.

Congratulations to our 2013 graduates

Samantha Boardman, MD

Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Public Health; Attending Psychiatrist in Employment Assistance Program at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital

Education:

Master of Applied Positive Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, '13

Dr. Boardman’s final paper for University of Pennsylvania “Positive Psychology for Psychiatry” discusses the potential ways psychiatrists can integrate positive psychology into their practice and, more broadly, how positive psychology enhances our understanding of the full range of human experience. Additionally, she founded a website that shares insights from the psychology community with readers, and explores the way psychology, culture and science intersect.

Soaringwords is a non-profit organization devoted to inspiring ill children and families to “Never give up!” Lisa is a passionary, a visionary driven by great passion and action. Three experiences with death and illness in her family motivated her to launch the organization in 2001. Since then, Soaringwords has embraced more than 250,000 children and families in hundreds of hospitals around the world. Lisa leads employee volunteer initiatives at leading companies, including American Express, Cisco Systems, Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, Starbucks and Verizon. Lisa has already collaborated with many positive psychology leaders including Barb Fredrickson (positivity and love), Jane Dutton (high-quality connections), Shane Lopez (hope), Rich Tedeschi (post-traumatic growth) and Mayerson/VIA Institute to create videos and programs to share healing positive psychology interventions with children and families grappling with illness. She lives in NYC with her husband Jacob and two sons, Jonathan and Josh.

Christy Harris

Principal of KIPP STRIVE Academy

Education:

Bachelor or Arts, English, University of Georgia; Master’s in English, Georgia State University; Master of Applied Positive Psychology, Univeristy of Pennsylvania, '13

It was during her time teaching freshman college students that she realized the need to touch the lives of students much earlier. Therefore, Christy joined Teach for America to start her career in secondary education. Teaching middle school students in Atlanta and Brooklyn exposed Christy not only to the achievement gap, but the well-being gap. With the desire to care not only for the intellectual needs of students, but also for their emotional and mental well-being, Christy explored the field of positive psychology. As a graduate of the MAPP program and currently the Principal of KIPP STRIVE Academy, Christy is hoping to infuse positive psychology into her school to improve the well-being of students and staff.

Patrick is the Executive Director and Cofounder of Renewal Care Partners, an organization that provides home health care, skilled nursing, companion care and care management services in New York City. Previously, he worked in financial services at Bridgewater Associates, McKinsey & Company and JPMorgan. He holds a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University. Patrick completed his undergraduate degree at Brown University.

Katherine Snyder

Global Business Manager for DuPont

Education:

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (with Honors), Oklahoma State University; Master of Applied Positive Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, '13

Katie was drawn to MAPP by the potential positive psychology has to help individuals and teams thrive at work. Katie works within the context of a large corporation to build a resilient and strengths-based culture that allows teams to function at their very best. Her capstone explored the integration of positive psychology and workplace change and how some of the basic principles within this empirically based science can help us change better at work. Katie currently resides in Virginia with her family and lends her talents to a few organizations focused on early childhood development in the state.

Andrew Soren, CPCC, MAPP, is a graduate of and assistant instructor within the University of Pennsylvania's internationally renowned Master of Applied Positive Psychology program. A Toronto-based leadership coach and consultant, Andrew is also Senior Advisor for Talent Strategies at BMO Financial Group, where he is accountable for leadership and employee engagement strategies. Passionate about meaning, culture and community, Andrew has worked in the corporate and non-profit sectors spanning the performing arts, philanthropy, corporate marketing and sponsorship, leadership development, culture change, coaching and talent management.

MAPP alumni directory

Many Master of Positive Psychology graduates are listed on our MAPP Alumni Directory. If you are looking for speakers, authors, teachers, consultants, coaches, therapists, or a variety of other roles, use this resource to get in touch.